OUR PURPOSE

To reimagine education for our rapidly changing society that urgently needs citizens who can think critically, collaborate creatively and work across cultural, racial and linguistic differences.

OUR MISSION

We want to redefine the concept of educational success. Instead of comparing our children against standards, we want to cultivate creative individuals. Instead of focusing on academic knowledge, we want to foster the development of the fundamental mental abilities that make learning, imagining and living in community possible. And within the process of this paradigm shift, we want to take a flying leap over our nation's achievement gap (in part a result of the system's obsession with standardization) and leave it completely behind as we create a school in which our Latino and African-American students feel seen, supported and reflected in every aspect of our school community.

OUR INSPIRATION

Take a look at this fun and inspiring lecture by Sir Ken Robinson about the need for educational reform that focuses on supporting creativity rather than suppressing it. Although there are multiple sources of motivation and inspiration to create this school, this video was the last spark that got the whole process going.

OUR VALUES

All of our curriculum and expectations are grounded in the following values:

Imagination – The ability to form mental images of something not currently present to the senses or of something never before wholly perceived in reality. Being adept at imagining is fundamental to creativity, innovation, critical thinking and the ability to be compassionate.

Integrity – In our view, integrity refers to the integration of respect, responsibility, compassion, courage and honesty into all aspects of one’s personality.

Identity – Identity refers to both individual and group characteristics, to differences and commonalities, and to the way an individual learns to combine these characteristics into a stable, confident, resilient whole.

Creativity – We believe that creativity–the ability to transcend the given to create something new–is an integral aspect of what it means to be human and essential in all areas of society.

Curiosity – An eager desire to know and understand is at the heart of meaningful, joyful learning. Our curriculum both inspires and takes inspiration from our students' curiosity.

Critical Thinking – We expect our students to be reflective in their studies and social relationships. We believe it's important that all students learn to actively and skillfully conceptualize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information as a guide to their beliefs or actions.

For more information write to: Kristina Mundera at ICcommunity@yahoo.com